Summer Solstice and the Start of Astronomical Summer
Coming this Tuesday solstice 2022. For practical purposes, the season has already felt like summer for weeks, with unusually high temperatures signaling heat waves that began in what many would call late spring. This kind of warmth felt ahead of the calendar, an instance that surprises because it usually belongs to midsummer and is typically followed by a pattern where heat waves become more common even before the official start of summer.
But astronomically, summer begins on Tuesday, June 21, at 11:14 local time. The shift marks a moment when the North Pole tilts closest to the Sun, a tilt angle of 23.4 degrees relative to the star. This axial tilt is the key driver behind the seasonal cycle and the varying length of days throughout the year.
When this alignment occurs, the Sun reaches its highest point in the sky at noon and traces the longest arc across the sky. It is, by definition, the longest day of the year according to the National Geographic Institute (IGN). The tilt of the planet creates the seasons and shapes the daylight we experience each day. This occurs because Earth is tilted on its axis, not because of a large change in distance from the Sun. The Sun’s height in the sky for observers in the northern hemisphere is at its peak on this day, while the southern hemisphere experiences shorter days and longer nights.
Historically, the name solstice comes from the Latin solstium, meaning that the Sun remains at a relatively constant maximum altitude for several days before and after the event. This is a reminder that the term captures a moment in the Sun’s apparent path rather than a dramatic shift in distance from Earth.
It’s worth noting that summer does not always begin on the same calendar date. In some years the solstice can occur on June 20, 21, or 22. This variability depends on how the civil calendar matches the Earth’s orbit around the Sun, which is known as the tropical year. The length of the tropical year is essentially fixed, but the calendar must align with it, leading to occasional date shifts for the solstice.
In any case, the seasons are driven primarily by the tilt of the Earth relative to the Sun, not by the planet’s distance from the star. The Earth’s orbit is nearly circular, so when the northern hemisphere is tilted toward the Sun, the southern hemisphere leans away and experiences winter. The interplay of tilt and orbit explains why seasons vary so distinctly across hemispheres and why the solstice marks a pivotal moment in the annual cycle.
According to the National Geographic Institute, the summer season will last until September 21. The calendar points to autumn arriving in 93 days and 16 hours from the solstice moment. This framing helps readers understand the rhythm of the year and how the solstice fits into the broader seasonal sequence. The science behind this cycle remains a reliable guide for planning outdoor activities, farming, and travel across North America.
Forecasts from weather portals such as eltiempo.es suggest a modest warmth ahead, with average temperatures potentially about 2ºC above normal in some regions. In particular, the northwest areas, including Castilla y León and parts of Galicia and northern Extremadura, could see these warmer conditions. This indicates a trend toward a hotter early summer in parts of Europe that complements the broader climate patterns now observed across many regions.
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